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Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1134, 19 December 1873, Page 2

The building of the new Empire Hotel goes on apace, and will be sufficiently advanced to permit the opening of the bar, dining kail, and billiard saloon on Christmas eve. The interior arrangements, so far as completed, indicate a well-designed, faithfully built and commodious establishment, which will reflect credit alike on the architect, the builders, and last, but by no means least, on the enterprising proprietor, whose motto evidently is— " If I have been extinguished [yet there rise a thousand beacons from the sparks I bore." Mr Joseph Ivcss, late one of the proprietors of the Eeefton Herald has purchased the Greymouth Evening Star. The first issue of the paper under the new management was made on Monday last. As an encouragement to the local timber trade it may be noted that a Melbourne commercial report shows the price of Baltic deals has been raised, and is likely to become higher still. Building sections have been lately sold at the Ahaura at the rato of £325 per acre, although bought from the Provincial Government twelve months previous at .=£39. A cigar manufactory has been started at Greymouth, and the local weeds are said to equal many brands of the imported article. Mr Leon Northcroft; late Acting Postmaster here, has returned to Westport. He has retired from the Post Office service and joined the staff of the Bank of New Zealand Company, and for the present will be stationed at Westport. His friends, no doubt, will congratulate him on having made so desirable a change. The usual weekly meeting o'f the Borough Council lapsed on Wednesday evening for lack of a quorum. Another fracas occurred in Lyttletori street on Wednesday evening, the brawlers calling themselves men. Two had a bout of fisticuffs, and the victor was challenged by a third party to come on to the beach. He went and licked his opponent, whereupon a fourth combatant threw off his coat and took up the fighting:, giving No. 1 more than he expected. A Lyttleton street levee will ensue on Tuesday next, at the Court House. At the Publican's Licensing Court, held on Wednesday, renewal' of licenses were granted for six months only. This restriction of time is made in consequence of the new Licensing Act of 1873, making provision for the holding of annual Licensing Courts on the third Tuesday in April in every year. Renewals were granted to C, O'Grady, li. Smith, J. Simon, E. Keating, j. Martin, and E. Eoche. The Hokitika Exhibition will be opened on Boxing Day. Exhibits are said to be pouring in from all quarters. The groat attraction will -be the complete skeleton of a moa, the largest specimen in the colony. A telegram, referring to the Break-o'-Day crushing, and published in the Westport Times of Tuesday last, contained an error, which unluckily passed unnoticed. The telegram stated that 1512 tons of stone yielded 1164 ozs retorted gold. It is manifest that 1512 should have been 152 only. The gold has been since lodged at the Bank of New Zealand, and tho exact figures are these:—Stone crushed 152 tons 550 lbs. Retorted gold, 1129 ozs. Net result, pure gold, 1124 ozs 18dwts 12grs. Judge Harvey arrived per steamer Kennedy on Wednesday. He holds a district Court at Charleston to-morrow, and at Westport on Monday next. It will bo seen by an advertisement in our columns of to-day that Mr J. E.Wright, Chief Agent of the' Government Insurance, is now in Westport. We hear that he has been very successful in obtaining proposals in ReeftOn and other parts of the West Coast, and that the action of the Government in expending the surrender value of premiums in keeping Policies open after a lapse of payment, has met with great appreciation by the public. The Sub-Committee appointed to organize the Christmas field sports have, in honor .ble emulation with the Race Committee, produced a specially good programme, which appears in our advertising columns. The deficit in the Postmaster's accounts at Ross is said to amount to .£3OO, mostly sums of money received on Savings Bank deposits. The loss will of course fall on the department and not on depositors, A deputation consisting of Messrs Whyte and Powell wnited upon Mr Dobson, Provincial Engineer, last Wednesday, on tho subject of river protection works. Mr Dobson stated that he had received in : structions from Mr Blackett to strengthen the stone groin at the end of Nelson street by an expenditure not exceeding one hundred and fifty pounds. The work will be put in hand at once, and will form part of the general scheme of protective works on the Buller river, to be undertaken by the General Government.

Mr J. Roine, Government Road overseer, has recently blazed a track from a point about 30 chains above the Big Bridge on the Nine Mile road on to the Caledonian Terrace, and, within sight of Mr Braithwaite's store, just where the track comes out from the bush on to the open terrace ground, he has erected a lofty signal staff. Tho track thus blazed is not difficult to travel, and will prove useful to prospectors in the adjoining gullies. The distance from the Court House to Braithwaite's store by this route is little over 6 miles. The work on the Nine Mile road has been finished by the contractors, and passed by the Survey department. Tho actual length of the new work from the Survey Ofiico to the Buller is about 6£ miles, and will prove of very great convenience when a punt or ferry-boat has been placed on the river at the upper end. At present tho traffic is limited, a3 no safo means exist of crossing' the river, which is at any time too deep to ford, -

At a meeting of St. John's Church Vestry held on Wednesday.Mr D. Day was appointed Churchwarden, vice Mr Bayfeild resigned, and Messrs H. Trent and W. Struthors, vestrymen.

The Examiner of tho 13th insfc says:— Wo understand that Mr O'Conor is to be asked to accept the compliment of a public dinner, to bo given by his committee and friends, on the evening of tho day of* tho declaration of the poll. The dinner will probably take place at the Temperance Hall. Mr Dobson, Provincial Engineer, returned from Nelson by tho Wallace on Tuesday last. Mr Rolling, Clerk of -, the Court' at Charleston, has returned from Melbourne, as also Mr Sutton, of the firm of Gardner and Sutton. The branch of the Rank of New Zealand opened at Lyell on Saturday last, is under the charge of Mr T. B. Connell. A chance of losing a sov., or getting a cheap little homestead, offers itself at Pern Plat, one of the settlors there being about to Art Union a cottage and ten acres of land. The new member of the Provincial Council for Collingwood is Mr William Gibbs vice Mr Collins resigned.